


Little Blessings

by diaphanous87



Series: The Many Ships of Tilly [26]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Happy Ending, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Kidfic, Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), No beta we die like mne, Post-Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Slice of Life, Tilly Lucia, Tilly is retired from being a WoL, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, rarepair madness, the author indulges herself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26181727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diaphanous87/pseuds/diaphanous87
Summary: Zephirin was still amazed that he lived, that he was free. He had never expected to discard his vows as a knight of the Heavens' Ward or to leave his home. But he did so and with only a few regrets. And now he was just a man surrounded by a family and flowers and peace.These blessings, he would hold them close and cherish them always.
Relationships: Zephirin de Valhourdin/Warrior of Light
Series: The Many Ships of Tilly [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1536589
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	Little Blessings

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! Have a happy Zephirin/WoL fic. Because I am motivated by spite! And also love for this tragic man. Let him be happy.
> 
> Please remember, don't like, don't read! Don't even hate read, that stuff is nonsense.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Little Blessings**

* * *

Pointed ears perked at the sound of approaching voices, laughter ringing through the air. Familiar voices. A small smile curled the elezen’s lips upward at the corners. Though his mouth was more used to frowning still, a habit of frowns and neutral expressions was hard to break. But for the ones close to his heart would he smile.

“Papa, Papa!” A little voice chirped as a small body flung itself into his arms. Big feline fuchsia furred ears wiggled in excitement, fluttering against the underside of his chin. Bright blue eyes peered up at him. The happy sparkle in them warmed his heart.

“Daughter mine,” Zephirin murmured, rubbing his cheek against soft summer blossom bright hair between those happy wiggling ears. He scooped her up as he stood. The blond perched her on his hip, holding her with one arm. Short arms wrapped around his neck. She was a comfort to hold. A joy and blessing. How had he become so lucky?

“Theodora, Zephirin!” Tilly bounded across the flower field. Strapped to her front was a sling holding a dozing babe. In one hand a covered basket swung. The miqo’te came closer, dancing around the delicate blooms he had planted at the start of spring. And now in early summer they were a riot of colors. She held his free hand with her other. Their fingers intertwined. “Ready for lunch?”

“I helped make it!” Theodora said, stubby tail wagging. “I packed the sandwiches very carefully!”

“I’m sure you did, sweetheart,” Zephirin replied. He chuckled when she pressed her face to his. The chubby round cheek was warm and soft against his face. “Very well, let’s have lunch.”

His youngest child, the babe in Tilly’s sling, burbled, green eyes cracking open. “Ah, someone heard his papa’s voice,” Tilly cooed. “Hello, Leopold.” The baby snuffled.

“Hm.” Shuffling closer, Zephirin leaned down to look upon his son. Those green eyes zeroed in on him and he received a gummy smile. He smiled back. “I shall hold you anon, Leo,” he said, soft in tone and expression. Shorter, rounded feline ears perked forward at the sound of his voice. Zephirin huffed a laugh and tugged on his wife’s hand. “Come, to the tree up the hill.”

“Our favorite picnic spot,” Theodora said. She wriggled. “Down, please!” Her father obliged her. “I’ll get there first!”

“Do not crush Papa’s flowers!” Tilly called after her sprinting daughter. The nimble kit did as she was told, the blossoms barely swaying as she zoomed past them. “That girl…”

“Has your energy,” the elezen said with a short laugh. Other hand now free, he plucked the basket from her hold. “Come, lady wife, lest our eldest grows too impatient and comes running back for us.”

“Yes, yes,” she grumbled. Hand in hand they walked through the field and up the hill to the great oak that Zephirin had left intact whilst creating the flower fields now in full bloom.

Zephirin breathed an amused sound out of his nose. To think that he would become a botanist of all things… He looked down at his now singing wife, a former Warrior of Light. The hand of mercy who had managed to save him from the tenuous thrall of his traitorous and now dead king. She and Lady Krile had explained that he had had a very weak form of the Echo that had helped Tilly to break Thordan’s hold on him in Azys Lla. Just as her fellow Warrior of Light and younger sibling had barely managed to heal Lord Haurchefant. Halone, he still carried the guilt from nearly slaying him no matter how many times the other voiced his forgiveness. Mayhap it would haunt him forever.

“You’re thinking about it again,” Tilly said, interrupting his thoughts.

Blinking in surprise, the blond elezen came back to the present. Oh, they had stopped the middle of the incline. And there went Theodora right up the tree. By the Fury, that child! “Forgive me,” Zephirin said. “It sneaks up on me still.”

“It’s alright. Now, please go fetch our daughter before she gets stuck again.”

Clucking his tongue, Zephirin reluctantly let go of his wife’s hand and sprinted the rest of the way up the hill. He set the basket of food down on their picnic spot. “Thea, how many times have I told you--!” He scrambled up the tree after his cackling daughter.

Tilly laughed and leisurely made her way up to the tree. From her armiger, she summoned the picnic blanket and with one hand spread it on the ground with a flick. She then took the basket and set it on a corner. She knelt down on the gingham blanket. Carefully the miqo’te undid the sling and set the now wide-awake Leopold on his back. He rolled over and up onto his hands and knees. His stubby blond tail wagged. He rocked back and forth. Oh, he was so close to crawling. Tilly crooned to her son, picking him up and setting him on his bottom.

“Hi Mama!” Theodora cheered, hanging upside down above her mother’s head. Her ankle was in her father’s hold, the exasperation writ on his handsome face. She grinned, flashing blunt little teeth. “Papa caught me.”

“He sure did,” Tilly said. She reached up and grabbed her child. Zephirin let her go into her hold. “Silly girl, you’re going to wear your poor papa out.” The older miqo’te set her down next to her babbling sibling. Leopold shoved his chubby hand into his mouth, drooling. “Zeph, do I need to rescue you?”

Laying on the wide branch, Zephirin huffed. “I’ll be down in a moment,” he called. He sat up and then swung himself down from the tree. He landed with a thump. The towering man ran a hand through his sweaty blond bangs. “Playtime later, Thea.”

“Okay!” The little girl looked up at him, her hands being wiped by her mother’s handkerchief. “More climbing?”

“As you wish,” Zephirin replied, eyes crinkling in amusement. He sat down on the blanket. His long legs crisscrossed. He accepted a damp handkerchief from Tilly to clean his hands. “Thank you.” He let out a surprised laugh when Tilly then plopped his son into his lap. A tiny weight leaned back against his stomach. “Sweet Leo.” Zephirin ran clean fingers through his son’s wispy strawberry blond hair. The boy babbled happily at him, waving fat little arms and kicking his legs. Theodora, with sandwich in hand now, scooted over and tucked herself under one of his arms. She sat happily, ears wiggling and tail wagging with joy. Zephirin wrapped his arm around her and held her close. He looked up at Tilly and felt a lump in his throat. Her expression, so filled with love and soft as she looked upon him and their children. “Tylda, I love you,” he blurted out bluntly. Theodora giggled which caused him to blush a little.

“Oh Zephirin! I love you too. Now take this sandwich,” Tilly said, putting it into his now outstretched hand. She shifted and stretched out her legs. Her leonine tail curled on the blanket by her hip. She tapped her feet against the bottom of his boot. “I’m glad you gave me a chance.” She pulled out another sandwich from the basket with one hand, leaning back on the other that was flat against the blanket.

“Shouldn’t I be saying that?” Zephirin asked after swallowing a mouthful. “I didn’t deserve…”

“Hush, you did.” The miqo’te flicked her ears, pointedly looking at their suspiciously silent eldest child. Theodora took a big bite of her sandwich and tried to look innocent and not like she was carefully listening. “Don’t doubt me on that, please.”

“Aye, as you say, my love.” He shifted and looked down at Leopold who was plucking at the leather of his knee boots with curious baby fingers. “All of you are a blessing from Halone.” Zephirin lightly squeezed his arm around his eldest’s shoulders. She snuggled against him. “I love you all so much.”

“I love you too, Papa,” Theodora said in a sleepy tone. Her sandwich was gone now, only crumbs on her tunic and around her mouth. “Hmmm.” She turned, shoved her nose against his side, and fell asleep. She was warm, full, and tucked up against her father’s side. Truly she was the safest little girl in Eorzea at this very moment. Why wouldn’t she sleep soundly here?

“So much for playtime after lunch,” Tilly whispered, laughter lighting up her green eyes. She crawled across the blanket and plopped down on the other side of her husband. She purred when he wrapped his other arm around her shoulder. She rested her temple against the side of his chest. Leopold draped himself over his father’s leg and also dozed off.

Zephirin was surrounded by his little family under the shade of the old oak tree. Wife. Children. Things he had never dreamed of in his ambitions in Ishgard. But he was free now; from his vows, from his king, and from the cold of his birthland. Here on the land he and Tilly had purchased, Zephirin finally knew peace. It was a heady thing. The elezen buried his face in his wife’s fuchsia and gold hair and cried quiet tears of joy. Tilly’s arm came up around his back.

They stayed there for a long time until their limbs were too cramped for comfort. The empty basket disappeared into Tilly’s armiger and Zephirin carefully moved. And then each carried a child in one arm down the hill toward their cottage home. Flowers planted by his own hands swayed in the afternoon breeze. This place. This home. He was so lucky.

Zephirin gave a silent prayer of thanks to Halone for this second chance. As he had done for years after he had left Ishgard behind in grief and guilt only to somehow win Tilly’s heart. He didn’t know how. He didn’t know why. But Zephirin supposed he didn’t need to know either. Tilly married him and by the Fury’s grace he would not push her away. Not for anything.

* * *

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> Just a note, I can and will delete nasty comments. There will be no discourse here, aight? I see the aftermath of that shit on Twitter and I won't tolerate hate here. People can love Haurchefant and Zephirin. With that said...
> 
> Thank you for reading (if you stayed for the whole thing). Tap that kudos button and/or leave a comment if you like. (Don't make me moderate that, y'all...)
> 
> Love and Peace!


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